Essence, 14, and Rhapsody, 10, Stiggers play Ruby Bridges, older and
younger. OIder Ruby is getting ready to graduate high school and is looking
back on her experience as a first grader. (Steppingstone Theatre)

It turns out that a lot of people wanted to learn about the little girl who integrated an all-white New Orleans elementary school in 1960, especially other students.

The original musical “Ruby! The Story of Ruby Bridges” was the best-selling show in the history of St. Paul’s SteppingStone Theatre, drawing nearly 11,000 people in its four-week run.

Weekend and evening sales were strong, but the play, written by Christina Ham, did especially well with weekday school audiences, said managing director Ross Willits. “Schools nowadays are teaching about Ruby Bridges, so all the teachers and schools know who she is and the subject fits neatly into school curriculum,” Willits said.

Every weekday show sold out, Willits said, a good sign for the St. Paul youth theater, which saw student audiences drop 20 percent between 2008 and 2012, as schools cut field trips to meet budgets and focus on teaching core test subjects in the classroom.

Final ticket sales for “Ruby!,” which closed Sunday, Feb. 24, ran a close second to the 2007 performance of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” Willits said. The theater put 800 tickets on a wait list, but couldn’t extend the run because the space was needed for the next show.

— Maja Beckstrom

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